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Mordred

Mordred was born out of an incestuous relationship between King Arthur and his sister Morgause as Arthurs first born son. He was not, however, his mothers first born child as she had been married off to King Lleu bearing him four sons and two daughters. Their sons were Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth while their daughters were Clarissant and Soredamor. They were sent into exile with King Lleu raising Mordred not knowing he was not his son. It would be under his stern authority that Mordred would be trained to become a soldier as he was not in line to succeed King Lleu and Mordred was all but overlooked save by his loving mother and her visiting sister Morgan le Fay. Mordred was known for being mischievous and even cruel as a child so that when his aunt showed interest in raising him, Morgause was more than willing to allow it.

King Lleu was a tyrant and of all those he thought to be his sons, Mordred was the most like him. It was for this reason that Morgause feared for Mordred as her husband was an intolerant man and he saw in Mordred the same lusts for power that he himself possessed. Having no use for Mordred, King Lleu might order the boy sent away to an unknown fate or have him put to death if Mordred became seen as a threat. In Morgan le Fays care, Mordreds cruelty would be encouraged and he was trained in the ways of deception so that when he did return to his fathers court, he would be better prepared to take his throne. But, which father would be important to know as she would reveal that Arthur was his true father and that Lleu was a fool whose kingdom was his should he eliminate his brothers. To that end, she had manipulated Mordreds brothers to follow after Arthur and to serve as Knights of the Round Table.

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Sins of the Father
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When Mordred too followed after Arthur, he would join as a soldier with none knowing of his parentage. His first role was as a squire due to his age and only when he saved the life of the knight, to which he was employed, would Mordred begin rising quickly through their ranks. Mordred would join the elite at a very young age and became an expert swordsman choosing to wield two smaller swords with one in each hand. Such mastery with the swords did he possess that they served both in offense to defeat his enemies and in defense as a shield allowing nothing to penetrate that could harm him. Only when Morgause herself informed Arthur would he learn that Mordred was his son and by this time, he was already well accomplished as a war leader. His men were farmers and the young who longed for lives of adventure but who would be trained by battle-hardened soldiers looking to retire on lands granted to them for their service.

For this reason, Mordred commanded his men's loyalty as he sensed that Arthurs men were war weary and proved successful at deceiving them into seeing him as something other than what he was. His was an obsession with war always moving from one battlefield to another wherever Arthurs armies might need him. He would eventually be given an "honorary" position among the Knights of the Round Table as he was never one to rest when bloodshed was to be had and refused to take a place sitting among them. Mordred would also raised to have at least some degree of respect for women as he would not bed them and cast them aside as the men he called father had done. He would become a bigamist for this reason but his one true love was the one woman he could not marry as Morgan le Fay would say of him, "Like father, like son" except that Morgan knew she was related to Mordred when she returned his affection.

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Son of the King
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Mordred would take Gwenhwyfach, Guinevere's sister as his wife because she was quite beautiful and Morgan wanted him to draw closer to Arthur. Although Gwenhwyfach and Guinevere were enemies and rivals of one another, by this time Arthur and Guinevere were themselves at odds with one another over their own infidelities. He would also marry Cywyllog, daughter of Caw of Strathclyde who bore him two sons where Gwenhwyfach only bore daughters. Mordred would finally take his place at Arthurs side after having risen to a position of popularity equalling Arthur himself and meeting with his father to discuss their relationship. Arthur would address Mordred as his rightful heir as he was his oldest surviving son and the only one proven worthy to succeed him. It was for this reason that he entrusted Mordred to protect the throne when he invaded the European mainland to enforce his claim of being Western Roman Emperor.

Arthurs reasoning would prove sound as Mordred had never shown anything but loyalty and in taking the war to his European enemies, Arthur was increasing the size of the kingdom Mordred himself was set to inherit. Mordred also stood to inherit the title as Western Roman Emperor himself should Arthur prove successful in forcing the Roman Empire to accept his claims. But, Arthur misread his situation as those who followed Mordred were loyal only to him and most despised Arthur either for having conquered them or for pressing them into military service as professional soldiers. Most of these men wanted to retire and to put their wars behind them having survived Arthurs campaigns and longing for the rewards they had been promised. Mordred had proven willing to grant such benefits and even had he wished to remain loyal, Mordred was now in a position where his mens loyalty would waiver if he thought of himself before thinking of their interests.

His first mistake was becoming involved in an affair with Guinevere placing enmity between himself and his wife Gwenhwyfach. This affair began soon after his arrival to meet with Arthur and progressed rapidly until Mordred found himself marrying the former Queen. Mordred married Guinevere because she remained popular with many and the dissolution of her marriage to Arthur was not accepted by many in the Christian church although the pagans had accepted it. She was still viewed as the rightful Queen and since Arthur had not replaced her, her marriage to Mordred allowed Morgan le Fay to manipulate sympathies in his favor. Arthur would remain popular with the citizens of his kingdom even should he not be popular with his military and those he had most recently defeated in battle. To them, Arthur was a defender and he was bringing prosperity to the lands he ruled rather than exploiting them to send the fruits of their labors back to Rome.

Mordred also promised the Picts, Scots and Hibernians greater freedoms to rule themselves and vengeance against Arthur as long as they remained loyal to his authority over them. So, with Arthur having departed with most of the troops loyal to him, Mordred declared himself King of Britannia and immediately began putting down any who opposed his rule. Learning of this treachery, Arthur returned to begin a series of battles in which he proved victorious because while Mordred underestimated his position. While he commanded the loyalty of many in the military and the outer kingdoms, he did not have the love of most of his people. Even Morgan le Fay now seemed to abandon him saying only that she had enemies of her own who were now upon her so that Mordred was on his own. At the Battle of Camlann, the armies of both men would clash a final time with both men fighting their way until standing before one another. A group of knights would form to either side allowing them to make battle one on one in single combat protected by their men upon the orders of the would be kings.

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Death and Rebirth
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Mordred would best Arthur in this battle between the two men because Arthur was worn down by age and his many injuries in battle. He was still a brilliant leader of men but no longer one capable of physical combat at the same levels once true of him at a younger age. Time and again he outmaneuvered Arthur who was fighting with a sword Mordred instantly recognized was not the famed Excalibur which Arthur wore sheathed upon his back. When he knocked the sword from Arthurs' hand and delivered the fatal blow running his father through with both swords, Mordred felt assured that the kingdom was now his to rule. It might have been so if Arthurs young son Dúran had not rushed in to intercede on his fathers' behalf unknowing that Arthur would not survive this day. Before Arthurs anguished eyes, Mordred cut down his half-brother filling his father's heart with rage.

Pulling himself to his feet bloodying the vestments of Sir Lucan, he grabbed t6he knights spear and ran it through Mordred. But Mordred would now reveal his darker side as the spear did not kill him, it would not even harm him as he pulled himself along its shaft. He would then strike Arthur a savage blow across his forehead forcing the king to his knees as Mordred turned from him. His attention would be drawn back to Arthur who yelled at him that he was not yet dead and to finish the job if he were able. Turning to his father, he saw Arthur draw Excalibur which seemed to set his blood on fire as Mordred charged once more at Arthur only to have his swords broken and his body cleaved in half by Excalibur. As events transpired beyond him, Mordred used his remaining strength to summon crows to him and to attack his body. All would seem to turn to ash and smoke with only Morgan le Fay taking notice as a large raven flew after them as they journeyed into the World of Mythrium.

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Kingdom of the Crows
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When Mordred arrived in this world, he landed upon Morgan le Fays shoulder where she greeted him as if he were a favored pet so that none realized who he was. It would take him time to regain his strength and power with Morgan having need of his services as a familiar until he had achieved this. Mordred would make the acquaintance of the Svartálfar and find among them an enchantress named Metilasa who could help him. When she successfully restored his human form, he found that his skin was black as soot and that where his face should be, there was only a skull showing with his eyes burning with green eldritch energies. If this disappointed him, he would not show it as he instead stroked what passed for a face causing a sticky black substance to ooze forth to form a face where there was none. Mordred then embraced Metilasa calling her by the name Stearchræfn (Starkraven) and then using the name as his own surname.

Great things awaited them he told her and with the few servants under her command, Mordred began plotting the creation of his new kingdom come. He would set his sights on a region among the Svartálfar which was constantly at war with itself. One tribal confederation after another had arisen only to fall within a short time because no true kingdom had ever existed among them to put down the leaders of rival factions and to eliminate them if necessary. To aid him, he sought Morgan le Fay as an ally and, in return, he served her in her war with the Cailleachs (or Veiled Ones) and stood with her because he would never be free of his desires he harbored for Morgan le Fay. It would be Morgan who gave his kingdom the name Crāwe because of the powers of transformation Mordred possessed and shared with his peoples. Mordred would annoint his queen Matilasa twice over, first as Queen of Crows (her people) and secondly as Queen of the Realm recognizing her as Queen of Queens.

Central to Mordreds rule would be the building of CaerDorchaSiantan (Castle Dark Storms) and the SlocdeAnman (Pit of Souls). As his kingdom expanded and he began to recruit mercenaries from the surrounding regions, Mordreds rule became evermore oppressive as the Svartálfar he sought to rule remained rebellious. Surrounding the Sloc de Anman would be Mordreds own version of Arthurs round table and sitting around it would be his most entrusted lieutenants called the RidireachdeRòcas, the Knighthood of Crows. These "knights" served as administrators across his kingdom and if they betrayed him, he tossed their heads into the Sloc de Anman alongside those of leaders who had fallen bu refused to accept Mordreds rule over them. This "pit of souls" would be a wellspring of power through which Mordred could see across worlds and from which gods of darkness granted him their power.

But, Mordred was a leader of peoples and he understood that if he gave the people what they wanted or needed, they had no need for any other leaders than him. In return for their obedience, Mordred brought peace and prosperity to those he conquered. For those who opposed Mordred, the harshest of misfortunes awaited as he was intolerant of dissent and merciless in his brutality towards them. He had also learned the importance of having weapons that held power of their own and called upon the goddess Māra Rīganīs who bestowed upon him the Eòin-Creiche (Birds of Prey). Upon learning that Arthur had awakened and was now more god than man, Mordred began laying plans for vengeance and Arthurs destruction. But, until Morgan le Fay had no further use of Arthur, Mordred would be content to conceal himself in shadow building his kingdom into an empire and seeking the means to one day face Arthur god against god!